Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

Old subthreads
Billie from Ockham
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47581

Post by Billie from Ockham »

blitzem wrote:But, as one of the other posters here mentioned, at least there is a huge back catalogue of great games from years past to play. And most will be in the bargain bin soon if they aren't already. :clap:
I got your "bargain bin" beat. Empire for DOS machines with monochrome screens is free, as is Joust for machines with CGA cards.

Couch
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47582

Post by Couch »

Bhurzum wrote: Yup, I'm that pale, I get moonburn on clear nights. A bucket of white zinc might be a wise purchase. That or a welders suit and helmet...
I have anti-tan skin. I'm living proof of the non-existence any melanin-related epigenetic processes.

However, if you follow the sun protection basics down here, it is pretty simply - and it got easier in the last couple of years with the advent of pressure-pack spray-on 30+ sun-block; which actually works and is relatively cheap. The mistake people make is not re-applying to uncovered flesh every three hours, or sooner if frolicking in the water.

Speaking of melanin ratios - I'm just going to throw this out there, but my late dad was pretty damn black, sun or no-sun.

There was always lots of talk about the 'Dark-Irish' and hand-waving references to horny hordes of swarthy Spaniards wrecked up and down Ireland's West Coast post-Armada, spraying their mongrel seed wildly in every direction...

But, I suspect my dad's eldest sister got closer to the truth in the mid 1990s when she abruptly lost her hitherto boundless enthusiasm for the family tree. Her daughters told me at her wake, ten years later, that she'd dug up, in some far-flung parish records, the undeniable coupling of a convict lad and an indigenous Aboriginal lass, circa 1850... :P

paddybrown
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47583

Post by paddybrown »

James Caruthers wrote: If Obama would talk about a 7 cent wage gap instead of 23 cents, I might have a tiny bit of respect for him. And then the conversation could move forward from there to maybe address this perceived injustice, or at least understand it better. It might be that the 7 cents is not due to sexism, but IIRC at the moment it is unexplained.

But how can we talk about the 7 cents if feminists won't stop bringing up the 23 cents and forcing everyone to argue about it?
Yeah, I've long thought that overstating your case is really counterproductive to convincing people. For thirty years people have been massively overstating global warming, predicting imminent apocalyptic scenarios that don't happen, and now nobody thinks we need to worry about carbon emissions at all.

SJWs, though - I wonder if there's a kind of double-bluff going on there. SJWs need a baddie to position themselves against so they can believe they're fighting the good fight. But just about everybody agrees with equal pay for equal work. So they overstate their case, create scepticism, and suddenly there's loads of patriarchal shitlords to fight. Same with rape. Everybody opposes rape. So they claim there's a "rape culture" that we're all complicit in, produce dodgy studies claiming 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 female students gets raped in college, and promote stories like the one in Rolling Stone, and people reflexively get more sceptical about claims about rape. They create their own opposition and thereby make themselves necessary.

Phil_Giordana_FCD
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47584

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Yes, SJWs try to solve the problems they invented in the first place. It's been their SOP for a while, be it in the A/S, gaming or other communities.

And not only on the internet, it's happened IRL as well.

Steersman
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47585

Post by Steersman »

paddybrown wrote:
James Caruthers wrote: If Obama would talk about a 7 cent wage gap instead of 23 cents, I might have a tiny bit of respect for him. And then the conversation could move forward from there to maybe address this perceived injustice, or at least understand it better. It might be that the 7 cents is not due to sexism, but IIRC at the moment it is unexplained.

But how can we talk about the 7 cents if feminists won't stop bringing up the 23 cents and forcing everyone to argue about it?
Yeah, I've long thought that overstating your case is really counterproductive to convincing people. For thirty years people have been massively overstating global warming, predicting imminent apocalyptic scenarios that don't happen, and now nobody thinks we need to worry about carbon emissions at all.

SJWs, though - I wonder if there's a kind of double-bluff going on there. SJWs need a baddie to position themselves against so they can believe they're fighting the good fight. But just about everybody agrees with equal pay for equal work. So they overstate their case, create scepticism, and suddenly there's loads of patriarchal shitlords to fight. Same with rape. Everybody opposes rape. So they claim there's a "rape culture" that we're all complicit in, produce dodgy studies claiming 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 female students gets raped in college, and promote stories like the one in Rolling Stone, and people reflexively get more sceptical about claims about rape. They create their own opposition and thereby make themselves necessary.
Indeed – that seems a rather pervasive and pernicious modus operandi. And, as you suggested, one that’s predicated on a rather too common, and quite human, tendency to exaggerate for effect, because the rightness of the cause should be able to tolerate a minor bending of the facts. Although maybe a lot of that is simple carelessness. But it reminds me of a rather problematic case of precisely that in the context of prostitution, and the hysteria over the supposed massive numbers of children who are forced into the profession. An interview of Maggie McNeill (The Honest Courtesan) in Reason sometime ago; Former Sex Worker & Activist Maggie McNeill on Why We Should Decriminalize Prostitution: 'This Is Not What Feminism Was Supposed to Be':
REASON: So let's say that these numbers are in fact grossly exaggerated. But would you deny that there are women that are forced into prostitution?

MCNEILL: No.

REASON: Would you deny that there are children who are forced into it?

MCNEILL: No.

REASON: And then if that's the case, then what is the harm of exaggerating? Because the argument that's made is that it draws attention to a very important problem.

MCNEILL: Oh, I'm sure it does. I'm sure it does draw attention. But the problem is that these—these false numbers, these inflated numbers are invariably linked to purported solutions that aren't solutions. Greater criminalization. The so-called end demand which is the idea of pursuing clients. And the pretense is that sex workers are not being targeted when they still are.
Dogma – a term which covers a rather large amount of ground – does have a rather pernicious tendency to distort and corrupt reason, and logic, and even basic humanity. The paradigmatic example of that being Loyola:
Rule 13 of Ignatius' Rules for Thinking with the Church said: "That we may be altogether of the same mind and in conformity[...], if [the Church] shall have defined anything to be black which to our eyes appears to be white, we ought in like manner to pronounce it to be black."

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47586

Post by Bhurzum »

Couch wrote:I have anti-tan skin. I'm living proof of the non-existence any melanin-related epigenetic processes.
I know the feeling! Several tours of Iraq completed and even though I wore a t-shirt, shirt and field jacket every day (yes, three layers every day!), I still got fried across my shoulders and back. The rest of the guys were trying to remove layers (sun tan for leave) and I was wrapped up like Scott of the Antarctic! My Squadron leader swore he could hear me "sizzle" on more than one occasion.

Couch wrote:Speaking of melanin ratios - I'm just going to throw this out there, but my late dad was pretty damn black, sun or no-sun.


Unfortunately for me, my dad is like a bottle of milk and I seem to have inherited the condition. Worse bloody luck... :(
Couch wrote:There was always lots of talk about the 'Dark-Irish' and hand-waving references to horny hordes of swarthy Spaniards wrecked up and down Ireland's West Coast post-Armada, spraying their mongrel seed wildly in every direction...
Sorry, the mental imagery you summoned has me in fits of laughter. Sounds like a very adult "Carry On" movie!

Brive1987
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47587

Post by Brive1987 »

Bhurzum wrote:
Couch wrote: Come November my renos (Australian for house-extensions) will be finished and I'll have a spare room; So if you're being raped too hard and need somewhere to hide, or just somewhere for this ex-military rapey-friend of yours to stay for a bit, do get in touch. I'm in SYD, which is conveniently proximate to the (actually) awesome landscape shooped into the background of the above DropBear face-sex depiction.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear
Thanks, I really appreciate it. It's still too early to confirm but I may just take you up on your kind offer!

My friend lives in Queensland (Townsville) so you're just down the coast. There's an island/resort off the coast that she's itching to show me (I'd need to dig through emails to confirm the name) but I think we already talked about a trip to Sydney. Yup, I'll speak to her and will confirm closer to the time.

Thanks again.
My brother in law is incarcerated in Townsville. We have been helping him attemot to break out.

Do not go to Townsville in Summer. In fact do not go to Townsville at all.

It is in a rain shadow, the grass is perpetually crunchy. It is generally flat and poor and semi industrial. Its main claim to fame is the Army barracks. Think Salisbury Plains without the grass or green.

Invite her to share your unit at Palm Cove or Port Douglas further North near Cairns - if you have to go tropical. Again, do not go in summer. If the humidy doesn't kill you the box jelly fish will.

The Whitsunday's are a lesser con, but con they are. The only palms there have been imported. Only good for boaties and backpackers - who make it to Airlie Beach and then hit a price wall and can't get out to the Islands.

You have been warned. :)

Brive1987
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47588

Post by Brive1987 »

Umm, by incarcerated I mean "lives". Another of my inside-my-head jokes that Skep is so fond of.

Brive1987
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47589

Post by Brive1987 »

She didn't trick me.

Those hands. Gives it away every time.

http://i.imgur.com/rlOBb0a.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dzXTx4h.jpg

Michael J
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47590

Post by Michael J »

Couch wrote:
Bhurzum wrote: Yup, I'm that pale, I get moonburn on clear nights. A bucket of white zinc might be a wise purchase. That or a welders suit and helmet...
I have anti-tan skin. I'm living proof of the non-existence any melanin-related epigenetic processes.

However, if you follow the sun protection basics down here, it is pretty simply - and it got easier in the last couple of years with the advent of pressure-pack spray-on 30+ sun-block; which actually works and is relatively cheap. The mistake people make is not re-applying to uncovered flesh every three hours, or sooner if frolicking in the water.

Speaking of melanin ratios - I'm just going to throw this out there, but my late dad was pretty damn black, sun or no-sun.

There was always lots of talk about the 'Dark-Irish' and hand-waving references to horny hordes of swarthy Spaniards wrecked up and down Ireland's West Coast post-Armada, spraying their mongrel seed wildly in every direction...

But, I suspect my dad's eldest sister got closer to the truth in the mid 1990s when she abruptly lost her hitherto boundless enthusiasm for the family tree. Her daughters told me at her wake, ten years later, that she'd dug up, in some far-flung parish records, the undeniable coupling of a convict lad and an indigenous Aboriginal lass, circa 1850... :P
Same thing in our Family. My side was happy about it but my super-lefty Aunt refused to talk about it. Looking back at photos of my Grandfather I can see it.

Couch
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47591

Post by Couch »

Brive1987 wrote:
Bhurzum wrote:
Couch wrote: Come November my renos (Australian for house-extensions) will be finished and I'll have a spare room; So if you're being raped too hard and need somewhere to hide, or just somewhere for this ex-military rapey-friend of yours to stay for a bit, do get in touch. I'm in SYD, which is conveniently proximate to the (actually) awesome landscape shooped into the background of the above DropBear face-sex depiction.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear
Thanks, I really appreciate it. It's still too early to confirm but I may just take you up on your kind offer!

My friend lives in Queensland (Townsville) so you're just down the coast. There's an island/resort off the coast that she's itching to show me (I'd need to dig through emails to confirm the name) but I think we already talked about a trip to Sydney. Yup, I'll speak to her and will confirm closer to the time.

Thanks again.
My brother in law is incarcerated in Townsville. We have been helping him attemot to break out.

Do not go to Townsville in Summer. In fact do not go to Townsville at all.

It is in a rain shadow, the grass is perpetually crunchy. It is generally flat and poor and semi industrial. Its main claim to fame is the Army barracks. Think Salisbury Plains without the grass or green.

Invite her to share your unit at Palm Cove or Port Douglas further North near Cairns - if you have to go tropical. Again, do not go in summer. If the humidy doesn't kill you the box jelly fish will.

The Whitsunday's are a lesser con, but con they are. The only palms there have been imported. Only good for boaties and backpackers - who make it to Airlie Beach and then hit a price wall and can't get out to the Islands.

You have been warned. :)
Um, are we supposed to publicly admit Townsville is a complete shithole? I thought we'd agreed, as a nation, to pretend it is pure unbounded tropical Bahamas-like awesomeness.

I was supposed to go there for a week for work in Feb this year, and basically refused; and no-one pushed back too hard, I assumed on humanitarian grounds.

I had truly thought the Whitsundays were another kettle of Steers-pots; but take your comments on board. Admittedly, those I know who reported back so favourable were usually doing so from their amply-provisioned yachts; Bundy and coke in one hand, joint in the other.

Brive1987
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47592

Post by Brive1987 »

Normally yes. Deny everything. In this case an exception as a slyme-brother was at risk.

I was disapointed that the Whitsundays were basically eucalyptus, dust and rocks. Not palms, coral and sand.

On the company dime three times though so my disappointment only ran so deep.

Have to say the electric carts on Hamilton are a hoot ..... Especially after a few cocktails.

Brive1987
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47593

Post by Brive1987 »

In fact at Airlie they had to build an artificial water park to placate the appalled backpackers. Fuck me.

blitzem
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47594

Post by blitzem »

Billie from Ockham wrote:
blitzem wrote:But, as one of the other posters here mentioned, at least there is a huge back catalogue of great games from years past to play. And most will be in the bargain bin soon if they aren't already. :clap:
I got your "bargain bin" beat. Empire for DOS machines with monochrome screens is free, as is Joust for machines with CGA cards.
I never played the original Empire, but I loved Empire Deluxe. Many, many hours spent with that one. I still have the floppy install discs somewhere.

Brive1987
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47595

Post by Brive1987 »

"Wot you mean there's no beach at Airlie Beach gov' ?

http://www.whitsunday.qld.gov.au/airlie-beach-lagoon

Couch
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47596

Post by Couch »

Michael J wrote:
Couch wrote:
Bhurzum wrote: Yup, I'm that pale, I get moonburn on clear nights. A bucket of white zinc might be a wise purchase. That or a welders suit and helmet...
I have anti-tan skin. I'm living proof of the non-existence any melanin-related epigenetic processes.

However, if you follow the sun protection basics down here, it is pretty simply - and it got easier in the last couple of years with the advent of pressure-pack spray-on 30+ sun-block; which actually works and is relatively cheap. The mistake people make is not re-applying to uncovered flesh every three hours, or sooner if frolicking in the water.

Speaking of melanin ratios - I'm just going to throw this out there, but my late dad was pretty damn black, sun or no-sun.

There was always lots of talk about the 'Dark-Irish' and hand-waving references to horny hordes of swarthy Spaniards wrecked up and down Ireland's West Coast post-Armada, spraying their mongrel seed wildly in every direction...

But, I suspect my dad's eldest sister got closer to the truth in the mid 1990s when she abruptly lost her hitherto boundless enthusiasm for the family tree. Her daughters told me at her wake, ten years later, that she'd dug up, in some far-flung parish records, the undeniable coupling of a convict lad and an indigenous Aboriginal lass, circa 1850... :P
Same thing in our Family. My side was happy about it but my super-lefty Aunt refused to talk about it. Looking back at photos of my Grandfather I can see it.
Convict roots apparently went from verboten to hip almost overnight in the seventies. The indigenous thing seems to be taking a it longer. I couldn't give a flying fuck either way, and can't think why anyone would, certainly not these days. It's little more than a historic curiosity. I'm probably more gentically Scandanavian or Basque-ian (or whoever is most recently supposed to have settled/invaded/raped Ireland) than Australian aborigine.

Sorry Caine-slash-tribal-name, but it's true.

My kids are brown people courtesy of a much needed gene-based injection of Southern European sun-repellent melanin. It reduces their likelihood of developing skin-cancer AND helps 'em blend in, where I live. Win! :D

Bhurzum
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47597

Post by Bhurzum »

Couch wrote:Um, are we supposed to publicly admit Townsville is a complete shithole? I thought we'd agreed, as a nation, to pretend it is pure unbounded tropical Bahamas-like awesomeness.
Oh, I've already been warned that Townsville is quite...earthy? Apparently there are roving gangs of pissed up squaddies, bogans (still not 100% sure what that means) and even the non-military population are pretty unfriendly and confrontational. I've also been assured that my Scottish accent will probably be a catalyst for trouble.

Don't forget however, I'll be viewing all of this with a strangers eyes; the novelty factor should deaden the blow somewhat. Plus, if her predictions are anything to go by, I'll be walking with a limp anyway. That's if I make it through the first night - drop bears, paralysis ticks(?), sharks and multiple rape permitting.

Malky
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47598

Post by Malky »

Just dropping this here

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/

Phil_Giordana_FCD
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47599

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Brive1987 wrote:Normally yes. Deny everything. In this case an exception as a slyme-brother was at risk.

I was disapointed that the Whitsundays were basically eucalyptus, dust and rocks. Not palms, coral and sand.

On the company dime three times though so my disappointment only ran so deep.

Have to say the electric carts on Hamilton are a hoot ..... Especially after a few cocktails.
I love desert places. Australia sounds like heaven.

Git
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Posts: 1271
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47600

Post by Git »

Malky wrote:Just dropping this here

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/
Ouch. You really don't want to be on the receiving end of one of Unity (the author behind that blog)'s monsterings.

Git
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47601

Post by Git »

Quick comment on the Steersman thing:

Steerzo, seriously, you don't want to become the thing you hate. You are running the risk of doing so. Hate is so self-destructive. Let it go.

Yes, objectively speaking I think Islam is a terrible belief system, but the same rights that allow you and me to say that is the same rights that allow people of all shapes and sorts to practice their belief systems, no matter how terrible you or I think they are.

Any time you propose a judicial measure, or even an extra - judicial measure, ask yourself the following question: would you still support it if "they" (insert whatever value of "they" you want) were to use that se measure against you and people who think like you?

In a way, what is good for the goose has also be good for the gander.

There are better ways to deal with society's problems with corrosive belief systems than what you propose. Better for society, better for everyone in it, and better for *you*.

Keating
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47602

Post by Keating »

deLurch wrote:Because although you point is correct when it comes to looking at large populations, I am going to take a wild guess that she would have been fully capable of pulling in the full car load herself without help. It just may have taken more trips and been a bit more exhausting. Because at that point she would have been taking advantage of what they call "benevolent sexism," and didn't want to give up the perks.
That's really my point. I don't mind being told how wonderful and capable women are. Just don't do it moments before expecting me to do something for you just because I'm a man.
That brings up another issue. While I believe that the average woman who trains for strength can and will be stronger than a man who doesn't. I suspect that the reliance/expectation on men to do the heavy lifting leads to compounding the existing biological average imbalance strength between the sexes. Strength goes to those who use their muscles.
That's true, and I'm certainly much stronger than her now, having taken to lifting over the last 5 years, but at the time I was a pudgy manlet.

Keating
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47603

Post by Keating »

KiwiInOz wrote:I am indeed in BrisVegas. Today is a bit chilly - about 20 C. I was in Canberra last week - I'd forgotten how miserable that place is in winter (and the other three seasons).
Canberra's been particularly cold this year. I'm usually one who enjoys the cold, and am most comfortable around 18 C, but even I've had to turn on the heating this year.

Keating
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47604

Post by Keating »

Bhurzum wrote:
KiwiInOz wrote:NZ has no snakes or nasty bitey things (as long as you don't count mosquitos and sandflies). You can walk around barefoot in the grass or the bush and you are only likely to stand on broken glass or German hitch hiker pooh.
Sounds safer than where I currently live :D
It really depends on what part of Australia you're in. Once you get away from the coasts, and far enough south, it's too cold for most of the animals Australia is famous for. I've seen one brown snake in the wild in over 20 years living in Canberra. Mostly it's nice to see kangaroos hopping around, or more likely, dead on the side of the road. There's also the occasional blue tongue lizard that'll visit your garden to eat snails. Otherwise, most of the wildlife you see is birds, cows and sheep.
Bhurzum wrote:
KiwiInOz wrote:But there would be a bed here too, if you were down this way.
Again, thanks for the generous offer!
Here as well, although if you're coming as a tourist, there really isn't much to see in Canberra.

James Caruthers
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47605

Post by James Caruthers »

Git defends Islam against Steersman! :shock: :o :shock:

http://static.fjcdn.com/comments/Why+_8 ... f615f8.jpg

Badger3k
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47606

Post by Badger3k »

KiwiInOz wrote:
Tribble wrote:
KiwiInOz wrote:Apparently both male and female gamers like violent video games. And desire for sex is correlated with violent video game play.

That's interesting but I'd love to see some real papers on it. I tend to take press accounts and blogs with a grain of salt.
Well you could have clicked the link to their paper - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 6915003992.

:cdc:
That's cool. Do you have an account so we can read it and not just the abstract? We're not all Steersman, you know.

Couch
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47607

Post by Couch »

Keating wrote:
Bhurzum wrote:
KiwiInOz wrote:NZ has no snakes or nasty bitey things (as long as you don't count mosquitos and sandflies). You can walk around barefoot in the grass or the bush and you are only likely to stand on broken glass or German hitch hiker pooh.
Sounds safer than where I currently live :D
It really depends on what part of Australia you're in. Once you get away from the coasts, and far enough south, it's too cold for most of the animals Australia is famous for. I've seen one brown snake in the wild in over 20 years living in Canberra. Mostly it's nice to see kangaroos hopping around, or more likely, dead on the side of the road. There's also the occasional blue tongue lizard that'll visit your garden to eat snails. Otherwise, most of the wildlife you see is birds, cows and sheep.
Bhurzum wrote:
KiwiInOz wrote:But there would be a bed here too, if you were down this way.
Again, thanks for the generous offer!
Here as well, although if you're coming as a tourist, there really isn't much to see in Canberra.
Canberra's alright by me. I had a girlfriend at the uni in the early 90s and used to stay with her and hang out with her uni friends; and we had a blast, dressed all in grunge as we were. Have always had family there. Convenient to skiing and just a hop, skip and jump down to the beach now they've upgraded the Kings Hwy.

I unexpectedly had a spell there last December as mum had a fall and they moved her up to the Woden Hospital from the coast. Canberra was very green and lush and frankly looked bloody marvellous. And I had a some really excellent food eating out. You couldn't claim much of the above in 1992.

Tl;dr: Canberra (aka Can'tberra, aka Cuntberra)? There's worse places. Like Mosul. I hear Mosul at the moment is fully fucken horrid. They could do with some of that there Steersnic Cleansing. :shock:

feathers
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47608

Post by feathers »

blitzem wrote:
acathode wrote:Yeah, when it all started to hit the GG fan last year I checked out Quinns' "game" Depression Quest....it made me sad.
Mission accomplished, maximum score.

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47609

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Malky wrote:Just dropping this here

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/
I haven't finished reading the whole article yet, but I have to disagree with the author that casting Elba or another black actor as James Bond would be easy. Many of the old books/movies take place in a Cold War setting, and I'm not sure a black spy would have been the best choice to infiltrate Soviet/Eastern organisations.

Now, if he's talking about a modern Bond in today's setting, it could work well, but I'm not bought on this choice for the old material.

That's my opinion, at least.

John D
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47610

Post by John D »

paddybrown wrote:
James Caruthers wrote: If Obama would talk about a 7 cent wage gap instead of 23 cents, I might have a tiny bit of respect for him. And then the conversation could move forward from there to maybe address this perceived injustice, or at least understand it better. It might be that the 7 cents is not due to sexism, but IIRC at the moment it is unexplained.

But how can we talk about the 7 cents if feminists won't stop bringing up the 23 cents and forcing everyone to argue about it?
Yeah, I've long thought that overstating your case is really counterproductive to convincing people. For thirty years people have been massively overstating global warming, predicting imminent apocalyptic scenarios that don't happen, and now nobody thinks we need to worry about carbon emissions at all.

SJWs, though - I wonder if there's a kind of double-bluff going on there. SJWs need a baddie to position themselves against so they can believe they're fighting the good fight. But just about everybody agrees with equal pay for equal work. So they overstate their case, create scepticism, and suddenly there's loads of patriarchal shitlords to fight. Same with rape. Everybody opposes rape. So they claim there's a "rape culture" that we're all complicit in, produce dodgy studies claiming 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 female students gets raped in college, and promote stories like the one in Rolling Stone, and people reflexively get more sceptical about claims about rape. They create their own opposition and thereby make themselves necessary.
There are several things going on.

1) A 7 cent difference is so small that if feminists admitted this truth they would have no one left to listen to them. They would become irrelevant.

2) Women are so unhappy with the modern world that they need to keep fighting the system. They are unhappy, so someone must be to blame.

3) Women tend (though this is a big generalization) to value their feeling more than statistics. I call it the Oprah syndrome. This causes women to be easily manipulated by fake statistics. They feel they are being mistreated so they find post hoc justifications and biased data. Men do this too, but I think it happens more with women. If you keep repeating the 23 cent thing and all women will believe it... especially if Hilary and Oprah say it.

4) Anything a man says is immediately dismissed because men are the enemy. Example, my wife is my favorite person on Earth, but she believes the 23 cent number... and we never discuss it. She gets too upset and says stuff like.... "You always have to be right!" haha.... In this case I am right...bitch! haha!

feathers
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

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Post by feathers »

Bhurzum wrote:I know the feeling! Several tours of Iraq completed and even though I wore a t-shirt, shirt and field jacket every day (yes, three layers every day!), I still got fried across my shoulders and back. The rest of the guys were trying to remove layers (sun tan for leave) and I was wrapped up like Scott of the Antarctic! My Squadron leader swore he could hear me "sizzle" on more than one occasion.
If you've completed several tours of Iraq and your worst complaints are the weather and a fierce-looking, but largely innocent, wannabe spider, I'd say you're not doing bad. But then I've just watched American Sniper :(

feathers
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

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Post by feathers »

Brive1987 wrote:My brother in law is incarcerated in Townsville. We have been helping him attemot to break out.

Do not go to Townsville in Summer. In fact do not go to Townsville at all.

It is in a rain shadow, the grass is perpetually crunchy. It is generally flat and poor and semi industrial.
And on top of that, Brive's bro in law is roaming around with a handheld powersaw encrusted in an old cake.

John D
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

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Post by John D »

Recommendation: Watch the series "First People". It is on PBS. There is a bunch of new research on human origins. We are all part Neanderthal for example.... and we especially have Neanderthal skin. Tibetans have a bunch of genetic material from a different species of hominid that changes their blood and makes them perform well at high altitude.... etc.

(careful PBS... you are proving that race is real).

katamari Damassi
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47614

Post by katamari Damassi »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:
Malky wrote:Just dropping this here

http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/
I haven't finished reading the whole article yet, but I have to disagree with the author that casting Elba or another black actor as James Bond would be easy. Many of the old books/movies take place in a Cold War setting, and I'm not sure a black spy would have been the best choice to infiltrate Soviet/Eastern organisations.

Now, if he's talking about a modern Bond in today's setting, it could work well, but I'm not bought on this choice for the old material.

That's my opinion, at least.
Bond is an anachronism that needs to go away. Or be rebooted as a Cold War period piece. Modern Bond is boring. Cyber criminals are way boring.

I feel the same way about Batman. Give me a Batman movie set in a 1940's era Gotham.

Tony Parsehole
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47615

Post by Tony Parsehole »

This one *might* be going somewhere.

Guestus Aurelius
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

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Post by Guestus Aurelius »

@Richard Dworkins,

I think from the outside, we can regard what "skeptic" SJWs do as a type of compartmentalization. From our perspective, they claim to be skeptics, but they aren't skeptical at all when it comes to their "little believies".

But I don't think it's quite the same thing as scientists who use logic and reason at work but "turn off" that mode of thinking when it comes to religion. Such people can be totally aware of their compartmentalization, and aren't necessarily convinced that their religious views are just as rational and supportable as their scientific views. "Leap of faith" and all that.

With the "skeptic" SJWs we're talking about, though, I get the strong impression that they see no distinction between the Rightness of their views on empirical questions and the Rightness of their views on anything else. Part of what gives me this impression is the moral urgency they attach to Being Right in general. Think of all of the horrible shit Myers has said about people just because they were wrong about something empirical. And just yesterday Plait tweeted that he boycotts Jim Carrey movies because of Carrey's ignorant views on vaccination. When Being Right is a moral imperative even for empirical questions, then how can one countenance Being Wrong on political questions, where values and ethics are actually central?

And, as I mentioned in my previous post, there seems to be a pattern: STEM backgrounds with little experience in the humanities. I'll further speculate that these types have spent most of their lives focusing on STEM-ish things and not thinking too deeply about philosophy or politics, content as vanilla liberals, when suddenly in middle age they're confronted by something or another that makes them take stock—maybe a feminist cited some shocking statistics, maybe an SJW yelled at them, maybe they read an article about the "humanities crisis" and didn't want to be "That Humanities-Bashing Scientist Guy." In any case, they'd better figure things out, and fast! They urgently need the Right Answers to big questions. Find the Experts!

The problem is, there are no Right Answers, and there are no Experts, when it comes to political questions. Humanities PhD's aren't better equipped than anybody else to tell right from wrong, or to run a society. Neither are bloggers who sound like Experts by virtue of their confidence and outrage.

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47617

Post by Git »

You magnificent fucker, Parsehole.

Take me, now.

Guestus Aurelius
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47618

Post by Guestus Aurelius »

Yes, Parsehole, I'm with Git. Impregnate me immediately.

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47619

Post by blitzem »

feathers wrote:
blitzem wrote:
acathode wrote:Yeah, when it all started to hit the GG fan last year I checked out Quinns' "game" Depression Quest....it made me sad.
Mission accomplished, maximum score.
Lol.

Shhh...Anita might hear you and make a video about player actions being more important than developer intent. Oh wait...she already did that with Hitman. My bad.

SM12
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47620

Post by SM12 »

[quote="Bhurzum"]
100% deadpan serious my friend. I've traveled far and wide, seen all sorts of nasty critters (camel spiders still give me nightmares! Thanks Iraq!) but Oz, partly due to ignorance on my behalf, sounds like hell on Earth. I should also point out, my friend, smelling blood in the water, does little to ease my mind on the matter. She assures me that it's perfectly safe one minute, then sends me video clips of her removing snakes, spiders like dinner plates and other assorted nasties from her house/yard. Don't get me wrong, she's also ex-military (she was a medic) and has a wicked sense of humor but there's definitely an element of truth behind the jokes.

According to a Rhod Gilbert comedy show, which I saw last night, camel spiders don't exist and are made up by the military to wind up civilians visiting Iraq/Afghanistan.

Richard Dworkins
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47621

Post by Richard Dworkins »

@ Guestus. I agree with everything you've said, in fact the whole "Jim Carey" bit is a perfect example of bleed-over of two different compartmentalised selves and that is the problem. We see it more often in the SJW camp of late, but we have become increasingly tolerant of people who have odd ideas in one sphere bringing it into another sphere where it should be left at the door.

It has been a long, long time since I had to study crap like sociology and it was for many a politically motivated swindle in the main even back in the seventies. However it has become even more absurd in the meantime.

Your last point is great and is exactly the weapon that one should use against po-mo dolts who shirk all forms of objectivity in the first place. If nothing is absolute, then why should anyone listen to them as if they have any authority.

Essentially it seems to me that many people are engaged magical thinking where opinion trumps reality, where they live in a world of "ought" rather than "is" and thus are consistantly railing against their own imagined constructs.

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47622

Post by Sulman »

Tony Parsehole wrote: This one *might* be going somewhere.
Jesus, Parsehole. You've found your calling.

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47623

Post by Brive1987 »

Bhurzum wrote:
Couch wrote:Um, are we supposed to publicly admit Townsville is a complete shithole? I thought we'd agreed, as a nation, to pretend it is pure unbounded tropical Bahamas-like awesomeness.
Oh, I've already been warned that Townsville is quite...earthy? Apparently there are roving gangs of pissed up squaddies, bogans (still not 100% sure what that means) and even the non-military population are pretty unfriendly and confrontational. I've also been assured that my Scottish accent will probably be a catalyst for trouble.

Don't forget however, I'll be viewing all of this with a strangers eyes; the novelty factor should deaden the blow somewhat. Plus, if her predictions are anything to go by, I'll be walking with a limp anyway. That's if I make it through the first night - drop bears, paralysis ticks(?), sharks and multiple rape permitting.
Exhibit A: they are out there, they will find you
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-02/s ... na/6589366

http://i.imgur.com/LOXpEOW.jpg



Exhibit B: bogans

http://i.imgur.com/MyXSiFy.jpg

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47624

Post by Richard Dworkins »

Parsehole, I cannot wait to see where you go next.

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47625

Post by SM12 »

Richard Dworkins wrote:Parsehole, I cannot wait to see where you go next.
Maternity ward.

Guestus Aurelius
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47626

Post by Guestus Aurelius »

Richard Dworkins wrote:@ Guestus. I agree with everything you've said, in fact the whole "Jim Carey" bit is a perfect example of bleed-over of two different compartmentalised selves and that is the problem.
Ah—I wasn't sure if that's what you'd meant by "bleed-over" before, but now I see that we're on the same wavelength here. Cowabunga!

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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47627

Post by Richard Dworkins »

Bhurzum wrote:
bogans (still not 100% sure what that means)
Neds with an even worse adenoidal whine.

Bhurzum
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47628

Post by Bhurzum »

SM12 wrote: According to a Rhod Gilbert comedy show, which I saw last night, camel spiders don't exist and are made up by the military to wind up civilians visiting Iraq/Afghanistan.
You can't trust Rhod, he's got a flaming battenburg tattoo!

Oh, and camel spiders are real. I've sat and watched two of the buggers kill a cat and eat the damned thing. Then they set fire to our fuel compound and used the resulting chaos as cover to raid the cookhouse. We went without trifle that day. Fuckers.

[youtube]RMP3F1VsCkg[/youtube]

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47629

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Tribble wrote: Women, as a population, just aren't that interested in STEM fields as men. In the 15 years we've spent millions upon millions of dollars smashing boys down while propping girls up for STEM careers. Yet in the past 15 years the percentage of girls going into engineering (for example) has dropped from 19% of engineering students to 17% of engineering students. DESPITE female enrollments still going up relative to men.
That's cuz Teh Patriarchyâ„¢ brain-washed them as children with Easy-Bake Ovens, shitlord!

Bhurzum
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47630

Post by Bhurzum »

John D wrote:Recommendation: Watch the series "First People". It is on PBS. There is a bunch of new research on human origins. We are all part Neanderthal for example.... and we especially have Neanderthal skin. Tibetans have a bunch of genetic material from a different species of hominid that changes their blood and makes them perform well at high altitude.... etc.

(careful PBS... you are proving that race is real).
Ah, but I thought "genetic distance" becomes irrelevant if you go back far enough? Eventually you hit our common ancestor and all of the threads converge? Or do Tibetans have a completely unique path?

(I've only read a smattering of articles on the subject; be gentle with me!)

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47631

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Bhurzum wrote:Dammit.

I just woke up (01:34hrs) to find myself locked in a hotbox. The weather here has been crazy over the past couple of days but this is something else! This is Scotland dammit, not the fucking Bahamas. Seriously, I'm sweating like a [insert culturally acceptable pun here]!

Oh, obviously I blame Obama for my sweaty arse-crack.
Seeing as he twice (Copenhagen, Rio) personally intervened to block a binding carbon emissions agreement, go for it.

100 f here yesterday, 110 the day before. Me & the dogs spent the day out flat in front of the swamp cooler.

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47632

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Richard Dworkins wrote:
It's appears to me to be little more than a form of simple compartmentalisation. In some sense there is a "sceptic" self, which may function within certain environments but if and when applied to their "political" self (a construct for other environments) would lead to cognitive dissonance, so they are kept apart in order to function.
QFT.

And like Plait's BFF, Pamela Gay, an astronomer who sees no scientific issues with Jesus ascending into Heaven.

jimthepleb
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47633

Post by jimthepleb »

Question; is Steersman trans*racist?

John D
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47634

Post by John D »

Bhurzum wrote:
John D wrote:Recommendation: Watch the series "First People". It is on PBS. There is a bunch of new research on human origins. We are all part Neanderthal for example.... and we especially have Neanderthal skin. Tibetans have a bunch of genetic material from a different species of hominid that changes their blood and makes them perform well at high altitude.... etc.

(careful PBS... you are proving that race is real).
Ah, but I thought "genetic distance" becomes irrelevant if you go back far enough? Eventually you hit our common ancestor and all of the threads converge? Or do Tibetans have a completely unique path?

(I've only read a smattering of articles on the subject; be gentle with me!)
We have a shared "base" of genetics from an African past, but different races have different genes from other hominid species. Yes.... the Tibetans have many shared genes with non-Tibetans, but they also have parts of the genome that are 100% unique that were from a non-Homo Sapien hominid species. Cool shit!

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47635

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Karmakin wrote: There's a lot of little things that can certainly play out in terms of creating the 7% wage gap (as opposed to the labor gap that the larger number discusses). The thing is, a lot of these things are things that we may or may not want to change. Off the top of my head:

Maternity leave resulting in lost raises
A desire to not work stupid insane OT resulting in lower raises.
Being more risk-adverse and not be willing to negotiate hard for starting pay/raises. (Note that a LOT of this stuff has to do with raises)
Slightly higher absenteeism...leading to lower raises.
FTR, the factors you identify have already been shown to account for parts of the 23% gap. Depending on the study, there remains from no more than a 7%, to as little 2%, gap that is unexplained. NB: we're only talking about wages; other compensations, such as healthcare & personal leave -- which women are more likely to trade higher base salaries for -- are not factored in.

And, as older generations of women pass out of the workforce, while new generations -- who, when entering the workforce get paid up to 120% more than men for the same work -- the gender wage gap will soon find men trailing.

Bhurzum
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47636

Post by Bhurzum »

John D wrote:We have a shared "base" of genetics from an African past, but different races have different genes from other hominid species. Yes.... the Tibetans have many shared genes with non-Tibetans, but they also have parts of the genome that are 100% unique that were from a non-Homo Sapien hominid species. Cool shit!
Fascinating stuff indeed.

Once again, sorry if my ignorance on the subject is showing but surely that would suggest "race" is a real/physical thing? I was under the impression the "differences" we have are the result of evolutionary pressures?

In fact, can you recommend a good (idiot level) book or two on the subject?

Tony Parsehole
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47637

Post by Tony Parsehole »

SM12 wrote:
Richard Dworkins wrote:Parsehole, I cannot wait to see where you go next.
Maternity ward.
Obscurity.

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47638

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Tony Parsehole wrote: This one *might* be going somewhere.
I laughed so hard, I drooled on my keyboard.

Oglebart
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47639

Post by Oglebart »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote: I love desert places. Australia sounds like heaven.
Ever been to India Phil?

Rajasthan has some great places to visit, Udaipur is one of the most memorable places I have been to.

Oglebart
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Re: Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

#47640

Post by Oglebart »

Tony Parsehole wrote:
SM12 wrote:
Richard Dworkins wrote:Parsehole, I cannot wait to see where you go next.
Maternity ward.
Obscurity.
Maybe Channel 4 news this time, Droolon's old mate Paul Mason might pick it up perhaps?

Locked